Of Poets, Fools and Madmen. . .

Galenar

Galenar

Title:

Life’s Champion, The Knight Protector

Associated Phenomenon:

Acts of True Heroism highlighted by impeccable, spotless grooming (even in the midst of battle), and perfect teeth (including divine special effects of a dazzling flash of light accompanied by the sound of a celestial chime when he smiles).

Alignment:

LG

Rank:

Lesser Deity

Race:

Human

Gender:

M

Symbol:

Pennant (on lance)

Weapon:

Lance

Totem:

Warhorse

Portfolio:

Heroism, Glory, Honor, Chivalry, Shining armor and perfect teeth and the likelihood of an early but absolutely spectacular death which will be immortalized by bards in rousing epics, tales and songs that will live on long after the sun has disappeared again in order to comfort and inspire the lost through the long age of cold and darkness to come. Seriously. No really; I’m not joking. Shut up! It’s true; they really will!!! Ask Surnest; he promised!

Description: Generally believed to be the brother of Behldamh (primarily because the theory seems to explain so much about him rather than being based upon any supporting evidence,) and Nuhveen, Galenar is the ultimate stereotypical “knight in shining armor” (quite literally) to a fault. As extreme and “over the top” as only a divine being can be, Galenar is clearly in it as much for the personal glory as any altruistic motive, but the two really can’t be separated within the terms of his ethos. His armor really is always shining, his surcoat perfectly spotless, his hair bright, thick and flowing, his teeth perfect and smile dazzling, and when he really pours it on, bright sparkling stars and planets really (visibly) do orbit around him accompanied by fanfares of symphonic “theme” music and the voices of angelic choirs drowning out all other sound. (It is widely believed that if he and Zhedarhe went into battle as shield mates the world would be rent asunder by the sheer potency of their combined auras. Battles in which priests and paladins of the two have participated in are reported to have manifested an environment of such a surreal quality that allies were subsequently unable to recall events with any clarity at all while most of the surviving foes were driven mad.) He adheres unwaveringly to his code of honor if for no other reason than the fact that his reputation is entirely dependent upon it. This isn’t really hypocrisy, he’s utterly convinced of all of it; chivalry and glory being two sides of the same coin. To Galenar (and his followers) honor and chivalry are the “highest” principals by which to guide one’s conduct in life, from which glory inherently arises essentially as the karmicaly manifest (and therefore by definition, obviously well deserved when it is acquired, being the clearest) indicator and gauge of how well one has lived up to those ideals so far. Personal vanity aside, his values, priorities and absolute fearlessness are unshakable, and his word beyond doubt while his deeds and impeccable courtesy to all remain far above reproach. Where heroic deeds are to be done his followers will be found, sworn to accomplish them or die trying. (Because they will never break this oath, no one, not even the Mercenaries Guild will insure them. His church however will care for their dependents most generously and permit no one to forget the glorious legacy they have inherited while forever remaining completely bewildered as to why so few choose to follow in their footsteps. The rest of the world meanwhile, will remain equally bewildered as to why so many actually do. . .) Those who survive only serve to bolster his reputation further.

Even Surnest has nothing more to say about him than to comment that “Behldamh is clearly the sensible one in the family. . .” and even this is directed more at Nuhveen than Galenar. Beyond that, he can only shake his head in dismay and shrug eloquently. Even so, he can often be found watching Galenar’s (or his smarter priests) activities from a safe vantage point because, much to his detractors’ inconsolable chagrin, Galenar really is ’’that good’’ at what he does and is the inspiration for many of Surnest’s best stories. It must be understood that Galenar and his followers are the clearest direct example in the world of the incredible power of belief to shape one’s reality through the agency of Narrative Causality producing synchronicity and ultimately, self-fulfilling prophecy. The sheer magnitude and force of their conviction is so overwhelming as to convince others not only that they really are what they believe themselves to be, but to further inspire others (at times to the surprise and confusion of those others,) to spontaneously act in accordance with the potential for honor and valor which Galenor and his followers are equally convinced are inherent qualities in everyone. e.g., they expect others to keep their word to them and those others usually do – even if they had no intention of doing so at first! Galenar, like his sister, is a very attentive deity and often will bestow his favor on those who strive to live up to his ideals, regardless of whether they actually worship him or another. Signs of his favor manifest in the auras of the deserving in increasingly obvious fashions. Observers at first “would swear they” saw a dazzling flash and heard a chime when his new protege smiled, and as his favor grows their overall appearance begins to change gradually to reflect the image inspiring/inspired by the ideal. What was at first impressions upon the minds of observers eventually becomes quite literally manifest reality – someone whose attention is elsewhere may also hear the sound of a chime and/or see the reflection of a dazzling flash of light when such a chosen hero smiles and turn to see the cause. Those so favored can actually send coded messages in total darkness, as well as broad daylight, as if using a mirror to reflect sunlight simply by smiling repeatedly. In shorter ranges, those who can’t see this for some reason can still hear the coded chiming normally. At the point when such a hero is clearly approaching candidacy for investment as an avatar of the Knight Protector the “orchestra behind the backdrop” begins to effect all allies able to hear it as increasingly potent bardic inspirational abilities while the song of the “angelic choir” conveys hir intentions/orders (as well as describing the expected effects of them) as if narrating the action of some epic saga. In it’s most legendary manifestations this “aura of imposed reality” even begins to affect opponents negatively as well, causing them to “fall before the heroes might” just like the saga says they do! With Galenar himself then, this certitude manifests as such matters going pretty much as he expects them to, simply because of the sheer force of his certainty that they will. Variance only arises in cases where some equal or greater certainty invested in a different, conflicting reality and outcome is at play, making the “story’s outcome” uncertain. It must be understood that this has nothing whatsoever to do with force of desire or will, rather it is a function of ’’absolute and unwavering certainty of belief’’ – something extremely rare in any world. Even the slightest (subjective) indications of Galenar’s favor upon the minds of others (functionally speaking, manifestations of the certainty invested in the recipient’s own reality, that is – both god and burgeoning hero fully believe the same things about the world,) are very uncommon, much less any greater, objective manifestations of such certitude.

While it is tempting (and widely accepted) to believe that Galenar and his followers are merely pathetically naive fools with no grasp of the harsh, gritty reality of the world (and are just somehow amazingly lucky to have managed to survive this long), many are in fact quite the opposite. While Galenar’s ethos requires neither intelligence nor worldly wisdom (and often even seems to defy both,) it doesn’t ignore or discard these gifts. There are many within his church who fully recognize the impression which their beliefs and behaviors make upon others regarding their mental capacities, awareness, ingenuity and judgment, etc., and make no attempt to disabuse them of their error. They continue simply to act upon their principals and convictions, evidently completely oblivious to the assumptions and “worldly perspectives” of those around them and appearing equally oblivious of their peer’s repeated discomfiture which invariably results when the projections their “worldly wisdom” run counter to what the Templar is already certain of. These effects they observe with quiet amusement as they truly would never dream of behaving so boorishly as to compound another’s embarrassment. Hence, much that others assume they don’t perceive they are in fact simply too courteous remark upon. While it is not their intent to hide their perspicacity from others, they are well aware of the fact that such is often an additional side effect of the combination of others’ assumptions and their own courtesy. Of course, they also realize that the fact that some of their number really are as dumb as posts only serves to reinforce the impression. Clearly as well, some of Galenar’s followers and priests may well be smarter than he is. (Most gods would say this is so, Surnest and Behldamh however remain conspicuously undecided on this point and Thelema is both adamant and explicit in stating that the question is irrelevant. No one dare’s broach the subject with his wife, Salistreah.) As for Galenar, this really doesn’t matter and Surnest finds those in question incredibly fun to watch.

Galenar’s church has drawn a surprising number of followers in recent centuries. Some Khurorkh revere him, viewing his ethos in its deeper manifestations as a human parallel to the principal of khürpahkk. More influential has been the acceptance of his ethos among more traveled Rimenosha. While they remain as reluctant as ever to take life, they clearly recognize that his ethos does not in fact promote doing so nor see any greater necessity than there own culture. While those of other races within his church may not fully share their reluctance, they comprehend and respect it fully and the perspective has influenced many to give greater consideration to alternatives to the use of force to accomplish their ends as well as promoting an internal dialog regarding the conflicting roles and forces of violence and courtesy. The outwardly manifest effect they have had upon both the church and the world in which it functions has been to spark the recognition that the concepts of valor and heroism are not in fact dependent upon warfare and combat and that the essential path and goals of championing those in need may be honorably met through the application of a wide variety of skills, often even seeing the necessity of violent recourse as indicative of partial failure (or at the very least a reduction in courtesy). In short, the church (and the world) is beginning to recognize many more ways of “being a hero” than the obvious stereotypes such that many without martial skills or training are beginning to embrace its ethos and objectives, making the church ultimately much more effective. Between these two extremes, this trend is expected to produce a new monastic order within the coming century, a first for this church. The Malenorian_Empire as a whole, and in particular the Church of the True Sun, is clearly unsure of how to respond to his slowly growing church. While honor and courtesy demand a certain degree of respect for legitimate authority, his ethos does not mandate bowing to authority for its own sake. Instead, where authority is abused, his ethos demands the protection and aid to the downtrodden and rectification of matters. However, the Church of the True Sun has no visible basis to exclude his church from Imperial soil, to do so anyway would cast doubt upon their own reputation and honor. Further, his ethos and that of Melangen are extremely close to each other with only a slight shift of emphasis regarding loyalty and valuation of law and social order over other concerns. Unfortunately for the Empire, Galenar’s new found and growing popularity is also already manifest quite extensively and strongly in the relations between the clergy of Melangen and Renosha and his own.